Chapter 8 - The Truth About AmyAmy stood on the porch, trembling with fury, looking between me and her mother.
“Mom, tell him to leave!” Amy demanded, her voice cracking. “Tell him he’s nothing to you! Choose me, or I swear to God I will never speak to you again!”
The courtyard went completely silent.
It was the ultimate ultimatum—the same manipulative tactic Amy had used on me throughout our marriage to get her way.
Lillian looked at her daughter for a long, silent moment. The fear and anxiety that had plagued her for weeks seemed to melt away, replaced by an unshakeable, quiet resolve.
“No, Amy,” Lillian said clearly, her voice echoing through the quiet evening air.
Amy blinked, stunned. “What?”
“I am not choosing, and I am not apologizing,” Lillian spoke, stepping forward onto the porch. “For twenty-five years, I protected you from every uncomfortable truth. I swallowed my own happiness so you would never feel abandoned. But I watched how you treated Derek during your marriage. You blamed him for your insecurities, you humiliated him in front of our family, and you threw away a good man because you couldn't control him.”
Amy’s mouth opened in shock. “Mom—”
“Derek did not stalk me,” Lillian continued, her eyes glistening with tears, but her posture unyielding. “We found each other when we were both lonely and healing. He respects me, he cares for me, and for the first time in ten years, I feel alive. I love you because you are my daughter, Amy. But I will not let you destroy my happiness twice.”
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Amy stared at her mother as if she were a complete stranger. She looked at the shattered glass on the steps, then at me standing beside Lillian.
Without another word, Amy turned on her heel, marched down the walkway, got into her car, and slammed the door shut. Her tires screeched as she sped out of the parking lot into the night.
